Expanding SDGFP’s Wildlife Management Vision

Across the United States many state agencies, with duties to watch over wildlife, are highly influenced by the desires of the hunting/fishing/trapping community.  Concerns and interests of the wildlife watching & animal welfare communities may be sidelined in favor of the hunting/fishing/trapping communities. Some state agencies may very much resent the animal welfare communities. 

This bias may also effect distribution of viable populations of wildlife within their states and inadequate funding/protection for “at-risk” species.  Predators, who compete with humans for “resources”, may be especially targeted.

 In SD it is mandated that half the Commissioners are related to agriculture and members of any political party can’t be dominant party.

 

Hunter/fishermen/trapper fees pay for much of the revenue of the Wildlife Departments. Gun and ammunition buyers also contribute via federal tax. Private farms/ranches provide lots of habitat.

 There may be bias in who is appointed to the Commissions/boards with persons representing wildlife watching/animal welfare, women or minorities neglected.

 

We refer all folks to the “Wildlife For All” web site, which is an organization devoted to these issues.

https://wildlifeforall.us/

 

We refer all folks to ta Wild Earth Guardians you-tube video on this issue “State Wildlife Governance Reform – Reimagining Conservation Funding”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydg0v4qj7mE

 

We refer folks to the 2022 USFWS document –“ 2022 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation”   ..  Visit: https://digitalmedia.fws.gov/digital/collection/document/id/2321/  and go to Table 2 on page 48  & Table 6 on page 51).

Wildlife watchers exceed hunters in this USFWS study that counts wildlife associated recreators nationwide – both those recreating at-home and away from home

It shows that hunters in our west north central region make up 9% of populace (aged 16 years & older) and wildlife watchers are 58%.

There is decreased participation in hunting/fishing/trapping about the nation, which state wildlife agencies perceive as a crisis and have emphasis on increasing participation in hunting/fishing/trapping: the 3 Rs- “retain, recruit and reactivate”.

 

We will be posting more material to this page